CAA Reminds Members to Get Ready for Winter

We’ve had a few frosty overnights, but luckily no snow — yet. That doesn’t mean CAA Manitoba isn’t ready for the white stuff.

The automobile association is offering free battery checks to new members who sign up by September 30, providing a courtesy call to a member’s home or office to make sure their battery is ready to handle frigid temperatures.

“Being ready for winter means more than just putting a shovel in your trunk,” said CAA spokesperson Liz Peters. “At minus 18, your vehicle’s battery needs twice as much power to start your engine.”

CAA has also launched its new “text alert” service, which notifies members on the status of their service call.

“In the winter, waiting with a dead car for service isn’t always an option,” Peters said. “If our booster truck is able to get to you more quickly than originally indicated, a text message will tell you so.”

CAA says calls for dead batteries account for more than 30 percent of its Emergency Road Service.